Is this mic on? I want to acknowledge something. I know around these parts, on my blog and in my life I have shared my beliefs. Some may call it my soapbox, others, call it a platform, and then there is the buzz word influencer (I don’t by any means think I’m doing any such things). I like to call it sharing my heart. Call it what you want this is what’s going down around here. So if it doesn’t strike your fancy or you’re uninterested I highly recommend you stop reading right now and mosey on back to your regularly scheduled feed. And if you’re still interested go ahead and click the read more tab…go ahead I’ll meet you on the drop down.
Hi! Welcome to my blog, if you haven’t already noticed it’s called, “it is well with my soul”. I started this blog 6 years ago! Woah! And I named it this because of various reasons, but it all boils down to the fact that even then I knew God was good and He would help make things well with my soul. But if you told me in 2016 I would go through one of the most difficult experiences of my entire life, that I would have to face my worst nightmare, I would have nervously laughed and kindly said, “no, thank you!” I would have asked if there was any other way, could the cup pass??? But sure enough there was nothing I could do to stop any of it from happening. I had to keep walking, one foot in front of the other. And as I walked I learned SOOOOO SOOOOO much. I have learned things that I never really wanted to learn. I have experienced things I have never imagined. And my goodness no matter how you cut it, grief is grief. And if I can share, comfort or encourage one single person on their journey through a tough time, far be it from me to keep all this inside. And please trust me when I say I wish I didn’t know the truths and wisdom I have gained. I wish I could have learned them any other way. But I trust and know that there was zero I could do to avoid this.
I have learned I’m not in control of the universe or other people, shoot if you have children you can understand that you can’t even control them because they are uniquely their own person. You can modify behavior, shape and mold, provide experiences, but at the end of the day they are going to take that all in and become who they are designed to be. I’m thankful to be on that journey with them, but they need Jesus just as much as I do and if I know myself like I do then they will need heaping helpings of grace and mercy. So all that to say is that I’m responsible for me and how I respond to what life throws at me. And while this never was the intention behind this blog, this is what it has evolved into. This space has grown with me. It has walked along side me like a good friend. It helps me to hold on to the things I need to and let go of the things that weigh me down. I’m grateful for those of you that read my words, that take the time to get to know my heart if only just a glimpse.
I’m going to keep growing and sharing. I welcome anyone and everyone that wants to share in this journey with me. I know it’s kind of counter culture right now to look to older people for wisdom, but I guess it depends on what wisdom you are seeking. I know for me I wish I had asked, listened to those with life wisdom. Because what I see with fresh eyes is that looking to those younger to stay younger doesn’t help me grow. I may grow down, but that’s not the direction I’m going. So in this season of my life I cling to the wisdom of those that have more life under their belt and more experiences to draw on. These people speak life into me. They point me in the direction I’m going and they have poured into me. It’s this cycle I have witnessed that as people pour into me I’m better equipped to pour into others. I’m able to receive and give away and round and round it goes. I can’t travel this road alone and I’m incredibly grateful to those that carried me, because when life smacks you down you need someone to carry you. Never underestimate the value of being the shoulder, don’t be the crutch, be the shoulder someone can lean on. My best guess is you won’t have to search far, those people are much closer than we want to believe. Oh and sometimes we look too far, but really we aren’t looking for a shoulder we’re looking for an escape, when really we need to lean in, not run away. I found this song from a college classmate, give it a listen, give him a follow (no he doesn’t know I’m saying this, he doesn’t even know I exist, but he’s that good and some of you may recognize his work with Urban Rescue).
I gotta a few things I’m working on and processing so I’ll see y’all back here real soon!
It is well with my Soul 